Since the outbreak of COVID, multiple guides and articles have been published regarding tips to host virtual events and programs. We have provided a list of helpful resources, organized by need and institution size. Consideration has been given to the capabilities different museums will have based on staff size and income, but feel free to explore them all!
Shameless Plug
- “How to Host a Virtual Museum Program” Indy Museum Exchange
- We couldn’t find a virtual program guide that was specific to museums, so we made one ourselves! Highlights include the importance of collaboration and the unique opportunity to explore your collection.
Where to Start
- “How to Choose the Right Video Hosting Platform for Your Virtual Events” Eventbrite
- Confused about what the difference between a webinar and a live stream is? Heard of Zoom, but don’t know any alternatives? Eventbrite, an event management and ticketing platform has succinctly provided distinctions between different video hosting platforms in this article. Published August 12, 2020.
- “How to Host a Successful Virtual Event” Adrian Dearnell, Forbes
- This article provides an excellent place to start thinking about how to host your virtual event, including highlighting the need to find a platform that is a good fit for your needs. Published July 2, 2020.
- “Virtual Event Tips” Erin Kelley, Spirit & Place
- This article takes you a little further, covering four categories: design with intention, communication, prep work, and hosting tips. It provides examples and was created by Spirit & Place Festival, right here in Indianapolis. Published 2021.
Tips for Small Museums
- “37 Virtual Event Ideas for Your Next Online Event” Victoria Copans
- Unique and low-cost ideas. The first example Real-Time Illustrations suggests hiring an artist to create real-time illustrations of the proceedings of the event. Published March 3, 2021.
- “Virtual Event Best Practices: How to Engage Your Audience” Eventbrite
- Includes 8 event ideas and 10 tips for engaging your audience. Each idea contains additional links to further information. Published January 20, 2021.
- “How to Host a Virtual Event: The Essential Guide” Eventbrite
- A 27 step guide to host the perfect virtual event. Highlights include: understanding your audience, choosing your format, and creating interactive moments. Published February 6, 2021.
Tips for Large Museums
- “Running Engaging Online Programs” Zoom (Downloadable PDF)
- Provides an excellent outline of how-to create an engaging virtual event: prepare for your event, use the right tools, build an interactive experience, prepare your team, promote and evaluate your event. However, several tips are specific to Zoom Webinar capabilities, which does not come standard. Published April 2020.
- “How to Create a Virtual Reality Exhibition” CoSpaces via Instructables
- As stated in IME’s “How to Host a Virtual Museum Program,” any opportunity to engage your audience with your museum’s collection should be taken. One way to do this is by sharing a virtual reality exhibition, and this platform is free! You will need: computer, smartphone with CoSpaces app, and cardboard headset.
- “4 Ways Museums Can Successfully Leverage Digital Content and Channels during Coronavirus” AAM
- Excellent ideas that require staff time, social media efforts, and intermediate knowledge of digital content creation. Published March 25, 2020.
- “COVID-19 Resources Center for Museums and Libraries” CultureConnect
- This is a list of resources from CultureConnect, a museum consulting company that develops online experiences including virtual programming, live lectures, and distance learning. Helpfuls blogs and how-to guides have been listed in the wake of COVID, but the bulk of their services come at a cost.
Engage Your Audience
- “8 Games Like “Kahoot” That Make Learning Fun” Caleb Melvern
- Originally designed to make classroom learning more interactive by allowing students to answer questions and polls using their phones, these technologies can easily be adapted to a virtual event. Published December 23, 2020
- Jamboard
- A digital whiteboard that allows multiple users to engage in real time. Options include writing and drawing on the whiteboard with a stylus, searching Google to insert photographs, and image recognition technology that converts your doodles into actual images. Up to 50 people can use Jamboard at once.
- Kahoot
- A game-based learning platform. You can initiate a game or quiz, and participants can join the game in real-time using a smartphone or web browser.
Examples of Virtual Engagement Activities
- Contains an extensive list of examples in the following categories: portals, virtual tours/online exhibitions, history museums, natural science museums, national parks, online exhibits, e-learning, created for kids, online collections, and digital archives & libraries. Published March 14, 2020.
- “Children’s Museums at Home” Association of Children’s Museums
- A searchable database of virtual programming from more than 240 children’s museums around the world. Published 2020, Updated by Request.
Helpful Organizations
- Center for Service and Learning IUPUI
- Want to collaborate for an event, but don’t have a partner in mind? Check out IUPUI’s Center for Service and Learning. Here you can fill out an application to partner with IUPUI and browse a current list of community partners.
- EPICS Butler University
- Offered each semester at Butler, this course is designed for computer science and software engineering students to work on software projects for charity and not-for-profit organizations. Contact them today for the opportunity to be the next not-for-profit to get free help with computer applications, network management, and program design.
- Center for Digital Scholarship IUPUI
- This organization provides an extensive array of services to students and faculty of IUPUI, ranging from digitization of 3D objects to creation of VR experiences, but these services extend to the surrounding community as well! Explore their site to see how you can benefit.
